PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Estate of the Artist by a Private Collection, USA
Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto

LITERATURE
André Kertész: New York State of Mind, Stephen Daiter Gallery, 2001, reproduced front cover
André Kertész et. al, André Kertész, National Gallery of Art, 2005, reproduced page 235, plate 109

EXHIBITED
Susan Spiritus Gallery, Irvine, California, June 1 - July 6, 1985
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., André Kertész, February 6 - May 15, 2005, traveling to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, June 12 - September 5, 2005

An introduction to this sale by Stephen Bulger can be viewed here.

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Known for his ability to construct beautifully designed images that celebrate the simplicity of everyday life, André Kertész struggled to remain true to his vision after the loss of his wife Elizabeth in 1977. It was Elizabeth's emotional and financial support that had sustained him through some very dark and tumultuous periods. His success, achieved late in life, was bittersweet as he was unable to share it with his lifelong companion. Kertész could not bring himself to continue photographing after Elizabeth’s passing, until he discovered a small Murano glass bust in the window of a local Greenwich Village bookstore. According to Kertész, the bust bore a striking resemblance to Elizabeth. He would say: “The nape of the neck, the slope of the shoulders ... it was her... it was Elizabeth.” At first, he resisted the urge to purchase the small figure. Yet he was haunted by its presence and often crossed the street in order to avoid passing it by as he ran errands in his neighborhood. When he noticed it had been removed from the window, he was compelled to rush in and purchase it once and for all.

This luminous feminine figure became the obsessive object of his attention, his muse, and enabled him to photograph again. Trying to capture his deeply emotional response to his loss, Kertész would organize small still life arrangements with the bust and photograph them as the playful and dancing light changed forms from the vantage of their twelfth-floor apartment. It was through this process that Kertész was able to mourn and start anew. This project captivated Kertész completely. He noticed that, “Slowly, slowly, the sadness was gone.” Elizabeth had fostered his work many times throughout his long career, and this time, with the glass figure as a surrogate, Elizabeth was once again the driving force behind Kertész. He would go on to photograph and work for another eight years before his own death.

In this photograph we find the glass bust supported by a glass vase, placed on a windowsill facing lower Manhattan. For more than 25 years, he and Elizabeth had watched the city grow before their eyes. Evenly lit in late-afternoon winter sun, we find the figure is juxtaposed to, and in scale with lower Manhattan. Kertész photographed from this perch thousands of times, but never before was the moment packed with this much emotion. Perhaps Kertész was reflecting on the fact that Elizabeth had been a causality of progress (represented by the new and constantly changing skyline outside). Kertész had always blamed living in New York for many of the difficulties he endured. However, after the tragic loss of the World Trade Center in 2001, this photograph has taken on different implications. Rendered softly by his masterful use of depth of field, these lean and once youthful buildings now imbue the same sense of sadness and loss that the forlorn figure in the foreground represents. The photograph became whole with the passing of time. Kertész could never have anticipated the events to come, but this is an example of how great works of art can evolve and change over the course of time.

The Estate of the Artist is aware of approximately only 8-12 prints of this image printed during Kertész’s lifetime. No posthumous prints have been authorized for sale.

The full sheet size is 10 x 8 inches.

Please note: this work is unframed.

The Buyer is hereby advised to read fully the Terms and Conditions of Business and Catalogue Terms, including our Stephen Bulger Gallery HO2 Sale Notice and any Addendum or Erratum specific to the Stephen Bulger Gallery HO2 auction.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.